MUMBAI: As the agriculture produces rates have plummeted drastically because the supply chain has completely broken down. As a result, the farmers are worried about the upcoming Kharif season what to sow and what no?
Vijay Jawandia, agri experts said that the farmers who had not yet sold their cotton and corn due to the lockdown will not even recover their expenses also.
“These crops prices are crashed. The cotton was sold at Rs 3500 to Rs 4000 per quintal against previous year Rs 5500 to Rs 6000 per quintal, in the same time while the corn rates are also crashed from Rs 1900 per quintal to Rs 1000. Due to the zoning system of COVID 19, most of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) has been shut down. Farmers have no storage system while untimely rain has also started that will spoil the crops in badly,” Jawandia.
He said that some of the farmers and traders are holding the crops stock because of falling rates. “If they sell the same product next year so there will be again the bumper supply and major chances of rate again falling down or this current trend will continue. If the government really wants to help, they should buy all crops of the farmers and like Haryana, Maharashtra government should also offer Rs 8000 per acre for all cotton growing farmers. Otherwise, farmers are facing huge losses,” farmer leader and agri expert said.
Sanjay Chaudhari, a farmer from Marathwada said that North Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha are cotton belt. “We have got cotton as an only cash crop. If we stop sowing cotton and corn, what should be sown that’s the biggest question. If the situation continued like this, then difficult for us to survive,” said Chaudhari.
Another corn growing farmer Atul Nemade said that per acre he spends around Rs 20,000 on buying seeds, fertilizers, labor, etc. “I got 25 quintals so with Rs 1000 per quintal rate, I am barely earning anything after working hard from several months in the field. The government should improve its buying mechanism, then only the farmers will survive,” said Nemade.